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Glite Dictionary
box-ticking

box-ticking

7.5
Doing tasks only to meet rules without real care
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑksˌtɪkɪŋ/
  • Literature
translation icon : cumplimiento superficial
  • Many companies fall into box-ticking practices, focusing on paperwork instead of truly improving their services.

Examples

  • The project was a clear case of box-ticking, with team members completing tasks just to meet deadlines without real engagement.

  • Secondly, however, and more worryingly, clients are in "box ticking" mode and are scared of making that "brave move" in case it goes wrong, and then their peers are able to say that it was always bound to go wrong!

    Blog text (28)

  • Until a box-ticking system closes doors to the outside.

    Blog text (16)

  • Unfortunately, organizations are suckers for process, workflow, and box ticking.

    Blog text (17)

  • It hovers around the faceless, box-ticking, bullying EDF as well.

    Blog text (9)

  • These criticisms of policy tools as incentivizing a "box ticking" approach to satisfying performance measures, rather than assessing potential outcomes more holistically, are reminiscent of critiques of NPM.

    Academic text (2016)

  • In the meeting, it was evident that the manager was only interested in box-ticking compliance rather than fostering a culture of quality.

Antonyms

quality
∞ 2.1

How good something is

effort
∞ 1.0

Use of physical or mental energy to try to do something

How Meaningful

improvement
619 1.1
effort
∞ 1.3
box-ticking
  • Literature
7.5

Surface Forms

box-ticking singular
box-tickings plural

Morphology

box-ticking = box + ticking (transparent) = box + tick + ing

Formed by compounding 'box' with the gerund 'ticking' (tick + -ing); learners familiar with 'tick the boxes' can infer the meaning of performing tasks to 'tick boxes'.

Etymology

The word box-ticking comes from the simple action of putting a tick, meaning 'a check mark', in a box on a form to show a task is done. So, box-ticking means doing tasks only to fill boxes and meet rules, not to do real work or make real change.